1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server device having a translation function capable of providing text data to a client device in a desired language, and also to a multilingual transmission system including the server device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet is representative of a variety of popular systems enabling a user to search for data using a transmission network and then view any text data acquired as a result of the search. Such a system includes: at least one server device storing a variety of text data; at least one client device capable of displaying text data from the server device; and a transmission network connecting the server device and the client device. The transmission network can include a public telephone network, a dedicated network, or a combination of the two. The server device includes: a memory unit capable of storing a variety of text data; and a connection unit for connecting the server device to the transmission network. The client device includes: a display unit capable of displaying text data; an input unit by which text indication information can be input about text to be investigated; and a connection unit for connecting the client device to the transmission network.
An extremely large number of server devices and client devices are connected to the Internet at locations across the globs. The Internet enables users to search for and peruse a variety of information from around the world through the transmission network that connects all the different server devices and client devices.
As shown in FIG. 1, the Internet includes a plurality of server devices 2202a to 2202c and a plurality of client devices 2203a to 2203c connected to each other by a transmission network 2201. The server devices 2202a to 2202c and the client devices 2203a to 2203c will be referred to alternatively an the server device 2202 and the client device 2203 hereinafter. Each server device 2202 stores text data in a variety of different languages, such an English, Japanese, and Chinese. Each client device 2203 connected to the server devices 2202 via the transmission network 2201 is capable of displaying text data in a language particular to the client device 2203. Some of the client devices 2203 include translation programs. For example, the client device 2203b includes an English-to-Japanese translation program and the client device 2203c includes an English-to-Chinese translation program. The language translation programs translate text received from one of the server devices 2202 into a language desired by the user so that the user can read the translated text data on the display of the client device 2203.
However, in systems such an the Internet, which have a network that spans across the globs, it often happens that the native language of a provider of text data in different from the native language of a person who wishes to view the text data. Text in a foreign language in usually more difficult to understand than when it is in one's own native language.
Two methods for overcoming this problem are known. In one method, the server device 2202 stores a plurality of text data note, each in a different language, but all containing the same content. The user uses the client device 2202 to select a language he or she desires to peruse the text data in. The server device 2202 then transmits the text data in the indicated language so that the user can view the text data in his or her own language. In the second method, the client device 2203 is installed with a language translation program. Using the language translation program, the client device 2203 translates text data transmitted from the server device 2202 into a desired language. By using either of these two methods, a user can view text in his or her native language, even if it is stored in the server device 2202 in a language other than his or her native language.